Garlic Studded Pork Loin

An adaption from Cooks Illustrated, this pork roast is easy to prepare and guaranteed to be moist and flavorful! Yes, the roast should be lightly pink! These are the new USDA internal cooking temperatures for pork. See the New York Times link below:

Instant read thermometers cost about $8 and can be found in most grocery stores.

A typical flat shaped pork loin will not cook evenly, so make sure you tie it with butchers twine. The purpose is to make a cylinder shaped roast. Take 10 inch pieces of cotton twine and at 1 1/2 inch intervals tie each strand around the roast, squeezing it into shape. It is very easy, but you can ask the butcher to do this for you.

A 4 lb or so center cut pork loin is the best. You don’t want a tapered roast. It will cook unevenly. You want a very thin layer of fat on the outside of the roast.

If you are planning ahead, prepare the roast a day ahead to allow time for flavors to meld in the frig.

In a small bowl combine:

4 large garlic cloves, sliced thin

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice

4 teaspoons dried thyme

4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoon pepper

Insert deep cuts all over the meat. Insert the garlic slices that have been mixed in the spices. Spread remaining spice mixture over the top and sides of the roast. Wrap completely in foil and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. This can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

When ready to roast, plan for 1 hour and 45 minutes total cooking time.